A Note from Bev

Animals & Art

Beverly Church

Michael Harold, Elizabeth Gross and Margaret Shields.

We are so proud to present the LA/SPCA’s “Howling Success” on our cover this month! The Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was chartered in 1888 and has advocated for and protected the animal community by providing care for over 20,000 homeless animals. Our cover represents some of the important people who believe in this mission! Thanks to LA/SPCA Vice President and Capital Campaign co-chair Jackie Shreves, LA/SPCA Foundation chair and Capital Campaign co-chair Susan Hess, celebrity chair Angela Hill and General Manager of the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, one of the event’s title sponsors, Michael Smith.

The event this year is on November 2 at the Hyatt Regency and will also celebrate the past 125 years of the LA/SPCA! Katherine LaNasa, Grant Snow and Angela Hill will lead the festivities that include Sasha Masakowski for the patron party, Jubilation! for the main event, a special presentation by the 610 Stompers, 30 plus fabulous restaurants, an open bar and unique auction items, all to benefit the animals. Thanks to co-chairs Christine Fontana and Suzanne Lanks, who want you to call 762-3300 or email Dean@la-spca.org for more information and to purchase tickets.

We have a very full issue this month, so get ready! What’s Hot is featuring Art, just in time for “Art for Arts’ Sake.” Cancer has affected so many of our friends and relatives, so we’re featuring an article on cancer awareness and letting you see what new local technologies are available in this never-ending search for a cure. We also have two special sections now that the holidays are upon us, Antiques and Holiday Entertaining, where we give you useful tips on what how to shop for antiques in a modern world, and what to wear and what to bring to a holiday gathering.

If you’re interested in the Panama Canal, my brother and sister-in-law (both art historians and professors at Tulane University) have written a new book written in both Spanish and English, The Panama Canal and its Architectural Legacy [1905-1920]. Tom Reese was Deputy Director of The Getty Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities in L.A. for 13 years and is now the Executive Director of Tulane’s Roger Thayer Stone Center for Latin American Studies. Carol McMichael Reese is Christovich Associate Professor at Tulane’s School of Architecture, where she teaches architectural history and theory. They have been interested in Panama for over 13 years and wrote this book so both the citizens of United States and Panamanians would have a better understanding of what the complexities of building the canal and its communities were, and the people who were most important in its completion. They had to literally build a town with infrastructure from the ground up! Tom and Carol presented the detailed study entitled “ Entering The Canal Zone” as a lecture for the eighth Panama Art Biennial at Tulane.

Have a safe Halloween and a wonderful fall season of great fundraisers that make our city so strong and vital!

– Beverly Reese Church

It is time once again for Avenue’s Activists of the Year! This year we’d like to hear from you: Who do you think should be this year’s Activist of the Year? Email Bev and Morgan your nominee with his or her contact information and why you think he or she deserves this honor. Send your submission to Morgan@MyNewOrleans.com before Monday, October 21, and look for our Activists cover and feature in our December issue.

Top Picture: New Orleans Friends Of Music board member Michael Harold and “Applause!” co-chair Elizabeth Gross with Friends of Music President Margaret Shields. The season kicks off at Tulane’s Dixon Hall October 21 with the Harlem Quartet. For details and to purchase season tickets, visit FriendsOfMusic.org or call 895-0690. Friends of Music is one of the city’s most enduring all-volunteer music organizations, presenting the world’s finest chamber music for 59 seasons. “Applause!” is a new volunteer initiative of the group, and is seeking members to assist with all aspects of the concert season. Please visit their website for more information.